Page 4 - Demo

him to their city for a balloon ascension, which he agreed to on July 27. Just a few days later, on August 1, he and his son Charles arrived by train, along with their balloon named Jupiter. Many of Wise%u2019s innovations were incorporated into Jupiter%u2019s design and construction. Such as a method of gluing together sections of the balloon%u2019s fabric, rather than sewing them, and a special varnish which he applied to the fabric to make it airtight. The Jupiter had a volume of 20,000 cubic feet, and would require 3 hours to inflate with coal gas, using an 8-inch-diameter linen hose. It%u2019s believed linen was also used for the balloon itself, but its color is not known. However, on its surface was painted a Latin inscription, Astra Castra, Numen Lumen, which in English translated to, %u201cthe stars are my camp, and deity, my light.%u201d Jupiter%u2019s wicker basket not only had to carry Wise himself aloft, but also food and artesian drinking water, rope, grapnels (grappling hooks), index paper, and 300 pounds of sand ballast. It also had space for a Charter of Greeting from Lafayette to her %u201csister%u201d cities in the East, as well various scientific instruments such as a barometer, compass, and thermometer.Wise detailed an ambitious flight plan. On August 16, he would fly his balloon from Lafayette all the way to New York City%u2014despite Jupiterbeing somewhat smaller than the Atlantic. In preparation for what was being advertised as a %u201cTrans-Continental Voyage,%u201d Lafayette%u2019s postmaster, Thomas Wood, tried to get locals interested in sending letters via Jupiter. A small item in the Lafayette Courier on August 15 mentioned that Wise would carry mail on his trip, and if anyone wished to send a letter east, they should bring it to the Post Office before noon on August 16.Wood succeeded in accumulating 146 pieces of mail (123 letters and 23 circulars) for Jupiter%u2019s From the Lafayette Courier, August 10, 13, 15, 1959.